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Louis C.K. did a series of pirouettes through a comedic minefield on "The Daily Show," telling host Jon Stewart he didn't mean to defend Daniel Tosh for making rape jokes — but could still enjoy one once in a while.

That last part, he made clear, was a joke.

C.K. took criticism last week for tweeting to Daniel Tosh last week while the "Tosh 2.0" host was being blasted for making rape jokes at a comedy show. "Your show makes me laugh every time I watch it," C.K. told the comedian. "And you have pretty eyes."

C.K., he explained Monday, wasn't commenting on the rape-joke controversy. He was visiting Vermont, staying off the Internet, and watching "Tosh 2.0," unaware that Tosh was under fire. He decided to tweet, he said, to compliment the show.

But that wasn't how everyone interpreted the tweet, given its timing.

"Two days later I come home and I read these like bloggers and The Hollywood Reporter: 'Louis C.K. Defends Daniel Tosh Amid Rape Joke Controversy.' I had no idea. He got in trouble for making some jokes about rape and I didn't know about it, and so I'm a defender of rape. That's what everybody says now. And I've read all this stuff like, 'Shame on you, Louis C.K.' And, 'Well I'll never watch your show, you're a rape apologist.' I've been called a rape apologist 'cause I said hi to a guy. 'Cause I said, 'Hey, nice show,' to a guy everybody was mad at."

He added: "But here's the thing: this is like a fight between comedians and bloggers. …We're all, just, hyperbole and garbage comes out of those two places. … Just uneducated, unfettered, just blahhh, whatever. And It's also a fight between comedians and feminists, which are natural enemies. … Because stereotypically speaking, feminists can't take a joke — stereotypically speaking –"

C.K. was interrupted by someone in the crowd.

"See?" he joked, as if it had proven his point. "And on the other side… comedians can't take criticism. Comedians are big pussies."

"To me, all dialogue is positive," he added. "For me, any joke about anything bad is great. Any joke about rape, the Holocaust, the Mets — ahh, whatever — any joke about something bad is a positive thing. I've read some blogs during this thing that has enlightened me with things I didn't know. This woman said how rape is something that polices women's lives. That they have a narrow corridor. They can't go out late, they can't go to certain neighborhoods, they can't dress a certain way. … That's part of me now, that wasn't before. And I can still enjoy a good rape joke."